Overview
- A ProPublica report published Monday says political appointees at the Department of Homeland Security directed the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to acquire a voting machine, attempt to hack it, and send findings to the White House.
- The appointees reportedly ordered CISA not to notify the machine’s manufacturer if vulnerabilities were found, a departure from the agency’s usual practice of disclosing flaws so they can be fixed.
- CISA staff repeatedly told the appointees the task was infeasible and the effort was never carried out, in part because roughly 1,000 employees were laid off under the DOGE-led cuts that removed much of the agency’s technical expertise.
- The White House rejected allegations of wrongdoing and said the president supports free and fair elections, while multiple news outlets amplified the ProPublica account and Democratic lawmakers and experts called for further inquiry.
- State election officials report reduced federal support ahead of the November midterms and CISA faces a proposed $700 million 2027 budget cut that officials say could deepen capacity losses and further erode trust and information sharing.